Understanding Why a Calorie is Not Just a Calorie

Understanding Why a Calorie is Not Just a Calorie

Leading diet trends, such as IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros), allow you to eat your favorite foods as long your total intake falls within the assigned calories, carbs, fats, and protein. The biggest problem is that it is difficult to stay within these daily requirements, especially due to the high level of availability of processed foods such as baked goods, candy, and soda compared to whole foods. Eventually, you end up overeating and not getting your recommended daily requirements, causing health issues in the long run.

What does 300 calories really mean?

It’s important to realize that a 300-calorie donut is not the same as eating 300 calories worth of fruit and vegetables, despite the famous calorie is always a calorie claim.

Understanding the difference between whole foods and processed foods is crucial. Additionally , learning the difference between 100 calories of whole foods and 100 calories of processed foods is crucial to achieving your wellness and fitness goals.

Whole foods vs. processed foods

The difference between whole foods and processed foods is that whole foods have one main ingredient. Fruits, vegetables, and , meats are a few examples of whole foods. Whole foods come along with a ton of benefits, including their high fiber content, providing essential vitamins and minerals, aiding in regulating blood sugar, reducing diabetes, heart disease, and cholesterol. Processed foods have more than one ingredient and usually contain preservatives, dyes, bad fats (saturated, trans, etc. ), additional sugars and chemicals . Energy dense (high in calories), processed foods are considered “empty” calories because they provided little nutritional value.

To see the difference between whole and processed foods, you can compare a baked potato compared to pre-packaged mashed potatoes.

Here are the ingredients list on the Hungry Jack Instant Mashed Potatoes box:

According to Mayo Clinic:
“Trans fat both raises your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and lowers your HDL (“good”) cholesterol. A high LDL cholesterol level in combination with a low HDL cholesterol level increases your risk of heart disease, the leading killer of men and women.”

Although all calories have the same amount of energy (1 calorie=4184 Joules), there is concrete evidence supporting the fact that a calorie is not simply a calorie. Whole foods and processed foods do have different macronutrient ranges and this has an effect on the hormones that control hunger and eating behavior. Some main factors that affect macronutrient values and their effect on hunger hormones include the simple sugars (fructose and glucose) and the glycemic index.

Even though both are simple sugars, what makes glucose different from fructose is that it can be metabolized by all of the body’s tissues whereas fructose is limited to only being metabolized by the liver. Another example that separates glucose calories from fructose calories is due to ghrelin (hunger hormone), which increases when you’re hungry and decreases after eating. One study shows that fructose leads to higher ghrelin levels (feeling more hungry) than glucose. This also shows how fructose doesn’t stimulate satiety centers in the brain the same way as glucose. This leads to reduced satiety.

Conclusion

You’re more likely to stay hungry with foods that have fructose and a high consumption can result in the abdominal fat gain, increased triglycerides, and insulin resistance.

Processed foods are often loaded with refined carbs, which come along with a ton of negative health effects: expedite aging, spike blood sugar, etc. When we consume sugary snacks, our bodies undergo “blood sugar roller coaster syndrome,” a simpler way of explaining why we overindulge in high-carb snacks because of cravings.

In conclusion, strive to eat whole foods to maximize your nutrient intake, and if desired lose weight or build muscle. If food sources aren’t providing you with enough nutrients to optimize your health, try WellPath nutritional solutions – take a survey to see your solution: a customized shake powder and set of vitamins tailored to your goals and needs.

About Chioma Ozuzu

Chioma is a guest writer on The Path Editorial Team. A graduate of Trinity College, she also works with the WellPath team as a Operations and Fulfillment Associate. An avid lifter, she writes about her experiences in her pursuit of strength training. Her favorite things include Jack Russell Terriers, deadlifts, and photography. You may read her blog here.